The Future of Gaming

Home , Computer Space

Eike Falk Anderson Fotis Liarokapis Christopher Peters

Overview

• Game History • Game Graphics • Game World Creation • Game AI & Behaviour • Game Interfaces What is a game?

Games have been a part of human life since the dawn of Humanity

What is a game?

Games have been a part of human life since the dawn of Humanity

Just a few formal definitions: • a structured or semi-structured, contrived activity (Wikipedia)

• a series of interesting choices (Meier)

• a closed formal system that represents a subset of reality (Crawford)

What is a game?

Games have been a part of human life since the dawn of Humanity

Just a few formal definitions: • a structured or semi-structured, contrived activity (Wikipedia)

• a series of interesting choices (Meier)

• a closed formal system that represents a subset of reality (Crawford)

A brief history of Computer Games

Over the past 60 years we have gone from this

A brief history of Computer Games

Over the past 60 years we have gone from this

to this A brief history of Computer Games

(incomplete) timeline

1952 OXO (EDSAC)

• the first computer game: noughts & crosses on the EDSAC A brief history of Computer Games

(incomplete) timeline

1952 OXO (EDSAC) 1958 Tennis For Two

• created as an interactive demonstration of oscilloscopes • not a computer game (almost a video game) • real innovation were the handheld controllers A brief history of Computer Games

(incomplete) timeline

1952 OXO (EDSAC) 1958 Tennis For Two 1962 Spacewar

• created by students at MIT to test the capabilities of the PDP-1 computer by DEC • first computer game with real-time vector graphics • inspired ”Computer Space”, the first arcade video game (1971) A brief history of Computer Games

(incomplete) timeline

1952 OXO (EDSAC) 1958 Tennis For Two 1962 Spacewar 1972 Pong

• first arcade video game to enjoy widespread distribution & popularity • a rehash of the “Tennis For Two” idea • inspiration for games such as “Breakout” A brief history of Computer Games

(incomplete) timeline

1952 OXO (EDSAC) 1958 Tennis For Two 1962 Spacewar 1972 Pong 1978 Space Invaders

• Japanese space shooter game inspired by “Breakout” • colours created through overlays • predates the game “Asteroids” by a year A brief history of Computer Games

(incomplete) timeline

1980 Pac-Man

• an early attempt at “character design” • meant to appeal to a wider audience A brief history of Computer Games

(incomplete) timeline

1980 Pac-Man 1984 Elite, Tetris two widely different games: • space exploration action game – one of the first games with 3D (vector) graphics • puzzle game – at the heart of the launch of hand-held gaming devices A brief history of Computer Games

(incomplete) timeline

1980 Pac-Man 1984 Elite, Tetris 1992 Dune II

• one of the first real-time strategy games • established many of the elements of the RTS game genre A brief history of Computer Games

(incomplete) timeline

1980 Pac-Man 1984 Elite, Tetris 1992 Dune II 1993 Doom

• one of the first 3D first- person shooter games • established many of the elements of the FPS game genre A brief history of Computer Games

(incomplete) timeline

1980 Pac-Man 1984 Elite, Tetris 1992 Dune II 1993 Doom 2000 The Sims • god-game that pioneered novel game character behaviour models • setting greatly expanded the player demographic A brief history of Computer Games

(incomplete) timeline

1980 Pac-Man 1984 Elite, Tetris 1992 Dune II 1993 Doom 2000 The Sims 2001 Halo • exclusive launch title for the Xbox console • lacked support for on-line multiplayer (but allowed up to 16 players in LAN) games A brief history of Computer Games

(incomplete) timeline

1980 Pac-Man 1984 Elite, Tetris 1992 Dune II 1993 Doom 2000 The Sims 2001 Halo 2007 Portal

• novel puzzle game • violence directed at the player only Rapid Growth of Complexity

• game infrastructure started simple

Blow, J. (2004). Game Development: Harder than you think, ACM Queue 1(10) Rapid Growth of Complexity

• game infrastructure started simple • the switch to 3D games quickly increased complexity Blow, J. (2004). Game Development: Harder than you think, ACM Queue 1(10) Rapid Growth of Complexity

• game infrastructure started simple • the switch to 3D games quickly increased complexity • modern games are among the most complex software systems available

Blow, J. (2004). Game Development: Harder than you think, ACM Queue 1(10) The Future of Gaming is...

Light & Materials Accurately simulated Virtual Environments

Unreal Engine 4 – “Elemental” Tech Demo 3D Computer Graphics

• for each vertex (corner point of a polygon) of a polygonal mesh

3D Computer Graphics

• for each vertex (corner point of a polygon) of a polygonal mesh 1. transform the vertex so it is located at the correct position in the virtual world

3D Computer Graphics

• for each vertex (corner point of a polygon) of a polygonal mesh 1. transform the vertex so it is located at the correct position in the virtual world 2. perform the lighting calculation (approximation of real lighting) for each transformed vertex g I = Ia Ka + [ Ii Kd (L·n) + Ii Ks (2(n·L)(n·V) - V·L) ]

3D Computer Graphics

Game Character Creation Basics: 1. following a character design, a game character is modelled

Game Character Creation Basics: 1. following a character design, a game character is modelled 2. this results in a polygonal mesh

Game Character Creation Basics: 1. following a character design, a game character is modelled 2. this results in a polygonal mesh 3. the mesh is then textured

Game Character Creation Basics: 1. following a character design, a game character is modelled 2. this results in a polygonal mesh 3. the mesh is then textured 4. for animating it an internal rig (skeleton) is created 5. this is then anchored to the mesh to drive each of the character’s motions

Game Character Creation Future Game Characters need more details.

Tomb Raider (1996) Tomb Raider: Anniversary (2007) Game Character Creation Future Game Characters need more details.

• apart from adding more polygons, modern graphics cards allow the use of normal maps: 1. lighting information from a high resolution model is captured in a special texture map 2. this is applied to a low polygon model, creating the illusion of detail smooth shading normal mapping Game Character Creation Future Game Characters have facial expressions.

• originally achieved with facial rigs, i.e. internal ‘bones’ that ‘drive’ the animation of the skin/mesh Game Character Creation Future Game Characters have facial expressions.

• originally achieved with facial rigs, i.e. internal ‘bones’ that ‘drive’ the animation of the skin/mesh • now usually achieved with facial blend-shapes, i.e. different versions of the mesh with different expression that are interpolated to create a variety of new expressions NVIDIA “Dawn” and “Faceworks” Demos Image from Lorach, T. (2007). GPU Blendshapes.

Real-Time Computer Graphics

Future Game Graphics use HDR lighting.

• High-Dynamic-Range lighting emulates real luminance ranges on limited hardware (tonemapping) • detail in bright and dark areas of the image is preserved, resulting in a richer environment • allows “bloom” where very bright image areas appear to glow Real-Time Computer Graphics

Future Games use real-time global illumination.

• GI simulates the interactions of light with its environment, including reflections and indirect lighting • GI lit scenes appear more realistic and ‘rich’ • most existing approaches are pre-computed, i.e. do not provide dynamic lighting NVIDIA GI Works

Real-Time Computer Graphics

Future Games simulate natural phenomena.

• clouds & smoke that interact with their environment and with lights • intangible forces, such as wind • water surfaces that reflect the environment and rain Real-Time Computer Graphics

Future Games use physically realistic materials.

• simulation of materials under the influence of physical forces enhances the realism of scenes • important visual effects are the deformation and fracture of materials • stresses up to a certain threshold deform objects, then they break The Future of Gaming is...

Procedural Synthesis What is Procedural Synthesis? automatic generation (based on algorithms) of „Content“ • autonomous or user- directed • deterministic / Infinity: The Quest for Earth reproducible

• not restricted to visible world elements

Why use Procedural Synthesis? modern games include detailed virtual worlds – players expect detailed virtual worlds Why use Procedural Synthesis? modern games include detailed virtual worlds – players expect detailed virtual worlds • manual creation of all world elements would be too time consuming and too expensive • some things are too complex to be created by hand • manually created objects would require too much storage space Why use Procedural Synthesis? wide ranging application areas • generation of textures for emulating different materials • terrain generation/synthesis • simulation/emulation of natural phaenomena • animation/motion synthesis • generation of artificial structures • behaviour simulation/emulation Procedural Generation of Cities • combines several procedural methods in a series of subsequent synthesis phases − terrain generation (incl. water distribution based on the terrain) − vegetation synthesis (based on terrain & water distribution) − road layout (based on the terrain) − plots/properties (constrained by road layout) − buildings (within plots/ properties) Procedural Synthesis Challenges

autonomy control

• as much as possible should be automated • the end result should still be predictable unsolved questions that will have to be answered The Future of Gaming is...

AI and Behaviour Artificial Intelligence (AI)

• a means for creating engaging gameplay opponents & collaborators Artificial Intelligence (AI)

• a means for creating engaging gameplay opponents & collaborators • meant to replace human gameplay opponents & collaborators Artificial Intelligence (AI)

• a means for creating engaging gameplay opponents & collaborators • meant to replace human gameplay opponents & collaborators • in games this should be “intelligent” but not “too intelligent” Artificial Intelligence (AI)

this raises some interesting questions What is intelligence?

• a problem of philosophy or a problem of science? What is intelligence?

• a problem of philosophy or a problem of science? • Aristotle tried to establish rules of “correct thinking”

Socrates is a man

What is intelligence?

• a problem of philosophy or a problem of science? • Aristotle tried to establish rules of “correct thinking”

Socrates is a man all men are mortal

What is intelligence?

• a problem of philosophy or a problem of science? • Aristotle tried to establish rules of “correct thinking”

Socrates is a man all men are mortal  Socrates is mortal

Deductive Reasoning What is intelligence?

• deductive reasoning (modal logic) is not really the answer What is intelligence?

• deductive reasoning (modal logic) is not really the answer • AI as such, i.e. the mimicking of the human mind by computers, does not really work What is intelligence?

• deductive reasoning (modal logic) is not really the answer • AI as such, i.e. the mimicking of the human mind by computers, does not really work

we need intelligent computer players (NPCs – Non-Player Characters) What is Game AI?

AI Game AI

• different from conventional “academic” AI What is Game AI?

AI Game AI

• different from conventional “academic” AI • behaviour more important than intelligence What is Game AI?

AI Game AI

• different from conventional “academic” AI • behaviour more important than intelligence • illusion of intelligence – not real intelligence Game Artificial Intelligence

AI Game AI

What does Game AI do? Game Artificial Intelligence

AI Game AI

Usually restricted to: 1. descision making Game Artificial Intelligence

AI Game AI

Usually restricted to: 1. descision making 2. path finding (planning) Game Artificial Intelligence

AI Game AI

Usually restricted to: 1. descision making 2. path finding (planning) 3. steering/navigation (motion control) Game AI – Descision Making from the very beginning games have used rule- based systems Game AI – Descision Making from the very beginning games have used rule- based systems 1. a game event triggers a situation evaluation Game AI – Descision Making from the very beginning games have used rule- based systems 1. a game event triggers a situation evaluation 2. simple rules (if→then) check which response has a positive result Game AI – Descision Making from the very beginning games have used rule- based systems 1. a game event triggers a situation evaluation 2. simple rules (if→then) check which response has a positive result 3. the decision is made and implemented Game AI – Descision Making

• rule-based systems are easy to create, but their complexity grows exponentially Game AI – Descision Making

• rule-based systems are easy to create, but their complexity grows exponentially • modern games have rich virtual environments with thousands of objects and characters that

NPCs can interact with Assassin’s Creed 3 Game AI – Descision Making

• rule-based systems are easy to create, but their complexity grows exponentially • modern games have rich virtual environments with thousands of objects and characters that

NPCs can interact with Assassin’s Creed 3 • future games need AI techniques that scale well to these new requirements Path Planning & Navigation

• a virtual world given as a graph allows planning algorithms to find paths • game characters can then follow these paths • future games will have graphs of actions and character states to use planning algorithms for decision making Game AI with Annotated Entities

• future game objects provide their own usage instructions Game AI with Annotated Entities

• future game objects provide their own usage instructions: εύρηκα ! 1. a character has the goal to use a game object Game AI with Annotated Entities

• future game objects provide their own usage instructions: εύρηκα ! 1. a character has the goal to use a game object 2. the game object sends its usage instructions to the character Game AI with Annotated Entities

• future game objects provide their own usage instructions: 1. a character has the goal to use a game object 2. the game object sends its usage instructions to the character 3. the character executes the instructions Game AI with Annotated Entities

• future game objects provide their own usage instructions: 1. a character has the goal to εύρηκα ! use a game object 2. the game object sends its usage instructions to the character 3. the character executes the instructions • makes it easy to extend the game world Modelling Character Behaviour

Assassin's Creed 3, Ubisoft Entertainment

Let's Meet Milo Gesture Interfaces

• interact with the machine in real- time using more natural interfaces • hand gestures to control objects on the screen without the use of the keyboard and mouse Facial Expression

• detect and interpret facial expression in using computer vision approaches • map onto a virtual character in real- time • for avatars in MMORPG that mirror the facial expressions of their controllers